Friend of a Friend City: a brisbane improv comedy podcast · hthrhydn

Himali Ratnayake and Vicki the Tour Guide (Janette McBride) - Ep 27

·27 min·1 clip

Vicky says Strathpine Station was where she had her first kiss with Adam Jones in 1999.

1. Friend of a Friend City: a brisbane improv comedy podcast centers this episode on Himali Ratnayake and Vicky the Tour Guide, also called Janette McBride. 2. Heather Hayden hosts while Himali brings Vicky, whose Brisbane touring and three-star review keep the conversation moving. 3. The episode asks what happens when a new Brisbane resident hires a local guide who never really leaves. 4. Himali says she moved to Brisbane for work after Melbourne and wanted someone to show her the city. 5. Vicky says she normally contracts for one day, but this service became personal after a good connection. 6. The pair describe trips to the Brisbane sign, South Bank, and regular meetings at 3pm by Vicky’s bright yellow shirt. 7. Himali says Vicky helped change her mind about Brisbane after she originally did not like the city. 8. Vicky lists places she likes, including the Brisbane sign, the old art centre that is now a Thai restaurant, and Strathpine train station. 9. Himali responds by listing Caboolture line stations such as Morefield, Burpingary, Narangba, Dakabin, Petrie, Strathpine, Bald Hills, Castledine, and Zilmere. 10. Vicky says she lives on the north side, avoids crossing the river, and treats the west and east sides of Brisbane as best left alone. 11. One memorable detail is that Vicky says she had her first kiss at Strathpine Station in 1999 with Adam Jones. 12. The conversation then moves to wagging school, changing uniforms, and getting a belting from parents. 13. Himali also says she was not allowed to bring Vicky into work anymore because Vicky used free coffee and shared opinions in science meetings. 14. Vicky describes herself as standing by the glass doors and waiting for Himali, which gives the workplace jokes a specific recurring image. 15. The language section turns into a set of pickup-line demonstrations in Filipino, French, and Shakespearean English. 16. Vicky says her best French is only “wee-wee” and “poo-poo,” while a Shakespeare line about the toilet lands the joke in a QPAC bathroom. 17. The tone stays conversational, lightly absurd, and locally specific, with improvised back-and-forths rather than a structured interview. 18. The format is a guest-chat built around repeated Brisbane references, personal anecdotes, and running jokes about boundaries. 19. Brisbane locals who like improv and place-based anecdotes. 20. Listeners wanting polished interviews or minimal banter.

As heard by us

A Brisbane tour-guide friendship turns city politics into patient, deadpan nonsense.

This Brisbane-focused episode lands as a small, tidy case for friendship as local knowledge. Amali, newly in Brisbane after time in Melbourne, brings Vicky into the frame, and the conversation settles into a relaxed rhythm around dates, work meetings, and the city's north-south…

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Why you'd press play

Press play for an improv comedy podcast that turns a new Brisbane friendship into the joke.

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